On a beautiful Sunday morning, a group of fishermen gathered in West Newbury to clean up the Rocks Village shoreline along the Merrimack River. About 20 people showed up, eager to clean up this great fishing spot for shad and stripers. By 8:40 a.m. more than a dozen large bags of trash as well as some larger items were picked up waiting to be hauled off. A great team effort.
I want to thank everyone who showed up to help out. Many club members were there as well as some prospective members. I especially want to thank Eric Roach for organizing this project and for taking the lead every year. His strong commitment to the environment shows everyone that he is not only a fishermen, but a steward trying to preserve what little fishing areas are left. I would also like to thank the Home Depot and Lowes home improvement stores for donating the trash bags.
Just a reminder that when you go out and take something with you it is usually lighter coming back. And if you see trash when you leave, please pick it up. In the Girl Scouts we have a motto: “Girl Scouts always leave a place better than they found it.” I would like to see that motto used when we fishermen go out and fish. Thank you.
Tight lines, Georgette
P.S. Please bear in mind that there is poison ivy in this area. Your webmaster once did a good deed by removing a long section of fishing line tangled in some weeds–and got quite a rash from it!
As part of the Atlantic coastwide effort to manage and conserve striped bass, each year the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MarineFisheries) provides the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) with size, age, and catch data. In 2002 to increase the information provided to ASMFC, MarineFisheries initiated the Sportfish Angler Data Collection Team (SADCT) program, in which anglers collect biological samples from striped bass. Due to the success of the program, in 2013 MarineFisheries expanded the program to include black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke), and scup.
Anglers who join the SADCT program are asked to follow simple sampling protocols to collect biological data. Anglers record length measurements, date of catch, general location of catch, and collect scale samples. MarineFisheries requests that participants obtain random samples from the targeted species on both kept and released fish of all sizes throughout the sampling season (May-October).
Scale collection is very important, because much like trees, scales lay down rings (annuli) that can be used in age determination. Age determination along with length data collected by SADCT anglers can be used in stock assessment models. Information from these models can help determine which age classes are experiencing the highest fishing mortality, track growth of the overall stock, and facilitate proper management of that species in the state of Massachusetts.
To date over 26,000 samples have been collected thanks to the efforts of dedicated SADCT volunteers. Members of the Plum Island Surfcasters as a whole have provided the SADCT program with well over a thousand samples. Many members of the Plum Island Surfcasters have been with the program since 2002, and have provided hundreds of samples personally. Without the cooperation and dedication of volunteer recreational anglers such as you this program would not be as successful as it is today!
The Sportfish Angler Data Collection Team provides a means for interested and dedicated anglers to help study the resource they enjoy. Anglers who are interested in the preservation and management of recreationally important finfish species can join the SADCT team by contacting Kimberly Trull at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 978.282.0308 x130 or by emailing kimberly.trull@state.ma.us. Anglers who participate receive a hat after their first year of sampling along with an individual report summarizing what they caught, and a chance to enter into a raffle. Winners of the raffle will be drawn in April after all of the samples have been processed and sent out with the reports and other freebies I have on hand!
—Kimberly Trull
Kimberly visited Plum Island Surfcasters on Tuesday, May 17th, 2016, to describe the program. You can watch her presentation below:
Her presentation covered all the information you need on how to participate. Audio starts around the 1 minute mark on this video.
Interested anglers measure the length of a fish, collect several scales (even catch and release fish can be sampled), record the species of fish, and note the area where caught. Scales and information are sent to Marine Fisheries to use in determining the age of each fish. Watch the video for all the details and find out how long it takes those fish to reach legal “keeper” size.
Newburyport City Councillor Sharif Zeid has contacted the club to alert us to upcoming public meetings on beach access at the north end of Plum Island. The City has applied for and received a grant to look at beach access and erosion on the Northern End of Plum Island. You can see a map of proposed trails at our Beach Access Survey page.
Another public meeting will be held on Thursday, May 4, 2017 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at PITA Hall, 8 Plum Island Turnpike. A draft beach access map and draft signage will be presented and discussed.
You may be familiar with the fencing and signs that have appeared at the north end of the island recently.
Meetings are being held with residents and other interested parties to gather information and feedback on path usage and what’s important to people in that regard. As a fishing club, PISC has interest in both protecting the sand dunes from erosion and ensuring access to the beach for fishermen.
We encourage everyone to stay on the marked paths and to participate in public meetings to ensure that the fencing permits easy access to the river and oceanfront.
Extending Your Striper Season
by Captain Jerry Sparks
Fishing Rivers and Salt Ponds & Tools of the Trade
Please join us on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 for another great angling seminar. Our monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the Newbury, MA Fire Hall (7 Morgan Ave, Newbury, MA 01950.) The doors open at 7:00 PM. Dinner is served at prices that will not break the bank. 🙂 The club meeting starts at 7:30 PM. After the meeting, we have a seminar by a featured angler. Seminars are free for club members; there is a $5.00 charge for non-members. Membership information is available here.
